bureau  of 

jfWemortal  SlutlDings 
®23ar  Camp  Community 
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Community 


Community  House  at  Perryville,  Md. 


Community  ffiutlhingg  ag  War  Jflemoriate 

A  series  of  bulletins  published  by  the  Bureau  of  Memorial  Buildings  of 
War  Camp  Community  Service,  124  East  28 th  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y . 


Number  4  1919 

existing  Community  Rouses 


ANNOUNCEMENT 

The  National  Committee  on  Memorial  Buildings,  established  to 
assist  in  the  promotion  and  guidance  of  the  nation-wide  movement 
to  erect  Community  Buildings  as  war  memorials,  has  merged  its 
activities  with  those  of  War  Camp  Community  Service.  This  Com¬ 
mittee,  composed  of  one  hundred  representative  men  and  women 
from  all  parts  of  the  country,  has  become  the  Advisory  Committee  on 
Memorial  Buildings  of  War  Community  Service. 

The  Bureau  of  Memorial  Buildings  is  designed  to  serve  as  a 
clearing-house  of  information  and  service  in  regard  to  planning, 
erecting  and  administering  community  houses,  auditoriums,  recrea¬ 
tion  centers  and  other  “living”  memorials.  The  Bureau  does  not 
undertake  to  erect  or  finance  memorials  anywhere;  but  by  means  of 
bulletins,  exhibits,  speakers  and  personal  advisory  service,  it  is  ready 
to  aid  state  and  municipal  memorial  committees. 

The  Bureau,  through  its  Advisory  Committee  and  through  co¬ 
operation  with  national  community  service  bodies,  art  and  archi¬ 
tectural  associations,  etc.,  has  brought  together  a  large  amount  of 
expert  opinion  and  knowledge  concerning  community  buildings.  This 
material  is  being  published  in  the  series  of  Bulletins  entitled  “Com¬ 
munity  Buildings  as  War  Memorials.”  A  list  of  these  publications 
appears  on  the  back  cover. 


Note: — The  article  in  this  Bulletin  was  written  by  Albert  S.  Bard,  President  of 
the  Municipal  Art  Society  of  New  York,  and  was  first  published  in  the  National  Municipal 
Review,  to  whose  editors  thanks  are  due  for  permission  to  reprint. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

HWYER8ITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


Community  House,  Manchester,  Conn . 

existing  Community  Rouses 

POWER  PLANTS  OF  COMMUNITY  HAPPINESS 

Even  before  the  war  it  was  apparent  that  the  tide 
of  community  effort  was  rising  rapidly  and  overflowing 
its  existing  boundaries.  The  church,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
the  lodge  room,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the 
town  hall  were  being  called  upon  continually  to  lend 
their  facilities  for  various  community  activities.  Dif¬ 
ferences  of  creed  or  point  of  view  or  policies  proved 
but  feeble  barriers  to  insistent  demands  for  such  coop¬ 
eration.  The  schoolhouse  was  a  special  boon,  and  its 
cramped  school  seats  or  kindergarten  chairs  hardly 
daunted  the  organization  eager  to  hold  a  meeting  or 
concert,  produce  a  play,  or  invite  a  lyceum  circuit.  In 
many  communities  schoolhouse  plans  have  been  drawn 
with  special  reference  to  their  provisions  for  civic  use, 
in  the  hope  that  the  inadequacy  of  existing  facilities 
might  be  overcome. 

The  war  brought  this  matter  to  a  crisis.  Never  be- 


Community  JgutlbtngS  as  380ar  iWemortalS 


fore  were  there  so  many  activities,  organizations,  cam¬ 
paigns,  meetings ;  never  before  had  the  improvidence  of  a 
community  in  not  supplying  means  for  civic  development 
revealed  itself  so  clearly  to  its  citizens.  Patriotic  or¬ 
ganizations  eager  to  aid  in  war  work  found  themselves 
“in  the  predicament  of  a  poor  family  with  many  chil¬ 
dren  looking  for  rooms  at  reasonable  prices.”  We  have 
many  instances  indeed  of  the  conversion  for  temporary 
public  use  of  private  homes,  and  a  host  of  humorous 
anecdotes  have  been  gleaned  as  to  the  many  grotesque 
selections  of  location  forced  upon  war  groups,  as,  for 
instance,  that  of  a  Red  Cross  work  room  in  a  loft  whose 
entrance  was  through  a  saloon  below.  As  the  diffi¬ 
culties  of  “making  bricks  without  straw”  in  civic  work 
impressed  themselves  upon  citizens,  there  was  awakened 
a  tremendous  interest  in  the  securing  of  proper  central 
facilities  for  communal  endeavor. 

That  interest,  coming  from  many  sources,  joins  its 
streams  in  a  vast  movement  for  the  erection  of  com¬ 
munity  houses.  From  memorial  commissions  especially, 
eager  to  find  the  most  fitting  way  to  perpetuate  the  spirit 
of  service  that  inspired  those  who  fought  in  the  war, 
have  come  requests  for  information  and  advice  con¬ 
cerning  the  community  houses  that  are  in  existence,  and 
their  functioning.  The  community  house  is  looked  upon 
not  merely  as  an  aid  in  the  preservation  of  existing 
bonds  of  association  for  civic  purposes,  but  as  an  instru¬ 
ment  that  will  promote  even  greater  cooperation  and 
organization  among  the  citizenry,  and  foster  social  con¬ 
tact  and  friendliness  as  well.  The  community  house 


Existing  Community 


has  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  power  plant  for  the  genera¬ 
tion  of  civic  happiness. 

In  the  attempt  to  meet  this  demand  for  further 
enlightenment  concerning  existing  community  houses, 
this  bulletin  has  been  prepared.  In  it  are  described  a 
number  of  successful  community  buildings  representing 
types  which  may  prove  suggestive  either  in  their  archi¬ 
tecture  or  in  their  provision  for  community  activities. 
Some,  such  as  museums,  schools,  church  buildings,  etc., 
which  have  been  forced  into  use,  will  indicate  some  of 
the  functions  filled  by  these  institutions  in  the  absence 
of  real  community  houses.  One  and  all,  the  examples 
indicate  the  value  of  a  common  meeting-place  and  a 
communal  clubhouse,  for  every  individual  and  every 
organization  in  the  community. 

A  NEIGHBORHOOD  HOUSE  THAT  SERVES 
ALL  THE  PEOPLE 

Locust  Valley,  N.  Y. 

Locust  Valley,  N.Y.,  is  a  small  community.  The 
Matinecock  Neighborhood  Association,  an  organization 
of  citizens  formed  for  mutual  civic  and  social  purposes, 
draws  on  a  district  population  of  only  two  thousand. 
When  the  people  came  to  the  realization,  however,  that 
the  one  thing  needful  was  a  community  house,  the  mere 
fact  of  population  was  not  allowed  to  stand  in  the  way. 
Caught  by  the  vision  of  greater  community  progress 
through  the  creation  of  adequate  central  facilities,  thirty^ 
five  thousand  dollars  was  raised  by  popular  subscription 


Community  JlutUitngS  as  ®0ar  Jfflemoriate 


The  Com¬ 
munity  House 
at  Locust  Val¬ 
ley i,  N.  Y.  A 
building  which 
acts  as  a  com¬ 
munity  house 
for  the  2000 
inhabitants . 


and  spent  for  the  erection  of  a  building  to  be  known  as 
the  Neighborhood  House. 

The  work  developed  by  leaps  and  bounds.  The 
yearly  income,  as  shown  in  the  1918  report,  reaches 
$14,000.  So  large  a  sum  in  so  small  a  community  be¬ 
tokens  the  wide  usefulness  of  the  club.  From  the  busi¬ 
ness  profits  and  proceeds  of  such  activities  as  moving- 
picture  shows,  dances,  pool,  bowling,  etc.,  about  $2,150 
was  obtained,  but  an  even  healthier  sign  is  the  amount 
of  over  $7,000  from  membership  dues.  These  dues  range 
from  one  dollar  a  year  to  two  hundred,  depending  on 
classification,  but  the  members  have  the  power  of  a 
single  vote  only,  no  matter  what  they  pay.  The  Neigh¬ 
borhood  House,  thus  democratically  organized,  is  under 
the  control  of  a  Board  of  Directors  elected  for  five-year 
terms  by  the  dues-paying  members.  An  excellent  Year 


(Existing  Community  Rouses 


Book  of  the  Matinecock  Neighborhood  is  published, 
summarizing  its  work  for  the  year  and  reporting  its 
financial  standing. 

One  of  the  reasons  for  the  success  of  the  Neighbor¬ 
hood  House  is  the  fact  that  it  is  equipped  with  the  many 
facilities  required  for  adequate  service  to  a  community. 
It  has  meeting  rooms  and  offices,  bowling  alleys,  an 
excellent  library  and  reading  room,  an  assembly  room, 
a  modern  stage,  a  billiard  room  and  a  motion-picture 
booth.  A  section  of  the  building  is  used  by  the  Fire  De¬ 
partment.  The  social  hall  has  a  fine,  homelike  atmos¬ 
phere  and  suggests  solid  comfort — especially  around  the 
large  fireplace  on  winter  nights.  Both  its  big  clubhouse 
and  its  grounds  were  planned  with  a  view  towards  many 
kinds  of  service. 

COMMUNITY  HOUSE  ACTIVITIES  REMAKE  TOWN  LIFE 

The  chairman  of  the  house  committee  tells  of  his 
work  in  this  cheery  fashion:  “Someone  recently  re¬ 
marked  that  it  made  no  difference  what  time  of  the  day 
or  night  a  person  went  to  the  Club  House;  something 
was  always  going  on.”  While  this  statement  is  an  exag¬ 
geration,  yet  it  indicates  the  many  activities  which  are 
finding  their  headquarters  at  the  club.  These  activities 
cover  a  wide  field — we  are  told  of  the  perpetual  motion 
of  the  Boy  Scouts  since  the  club  was  offered  as  head¬ 
quarters,  and  the  work  of  the  Camp  Fire  Girls.  The 
Triangle  Club,  recently  organized  at  the  House,  held  a 
big  Father  and  Son  Dinner,  and  presented  the  “Bum 
Bum  and  Ding  Ding  Brothers’  Mammoth  Circus,”  play- 


5 


Community  ISutltnngs  as>  ®20ar  ifflemorials 


ing  to  packed  houses.  The  Winter  Sports  Committee 
makes  us  long  to  visit  Locust  Valley  at  the  time  of  its 
next  Annual  Ice  Carnival.  We  are  told  of  a  Halloween 
Celebration,  among  others;  of  a  Community  Fair,  of 
monthly  smokers  for  the  “mere”  men,  of  frequent  dances 
and  of  dramatic  performances,  including  a  presentation 
of  Shakespeare’s  “Midsummer  Night’s  Dream.”  Of 
great  civic  significance,  too,  are  the  nine  open  forums  or 
community  assemblies  held  during  the  season,  at  which 
speakers  of  prominence  brought  their  personality  and 
their  message  to  the  people  of  Matinecock.  “Plight  of 
the  small  town  indeed.”  A  Locust  Valley  citizen  will 
say:  “We  are  having  as  good  a  time  as  you  can  have 
anywhere,  and  we  are  all  working  together  for  it.” 

Among  the  many  activities  not  purely  social  and 
civic  are  included  that  of  the  Village  Nurse,  who  made 
over  1,000  calls  and  assisted  in  numerous  cases  of  illness ; 
of  relief  work  for  those  in  distress,  of  a  law  and  order 
campaign,  and  of  many  efforts  for  the  improvement  of 
the  locality.  The  library  reports  that  8,000  books  were 
borrowed  and  many  new  books  added,  and  according 
to  recent  advices  its  work  has  so  developed  that  the 
erection  of  a  separate  building  is  being  planned. 

LARGE  ATTENDANCE  AT  COMMUNITY  HOUSE 

The  reports  of  attendance  at  regular  activities  dur¬ 
ing  a  typical  week — the  one  ending  Saturday,  February 
IS,  1919,  will  demonstrate  how  large  a  part  in  the  life 
of  the  community  the  Neighborhood  House  is  filling. 


existing  (Community  Rouses 


A  ttendance 

Sunday  school .  103 

Community  Assembly  and  Forum. .  243 

Father  and  Son  Dinner .  128 

Boy  Scouts’  Meetings .  56 

Dance . .  72 

Red  Cross  Committee  Meeting .  11 

L.  V.  Pioneers’  Meeting .  14 

Motion  Pictures .  156 

Bowling  .  108 

Pool .  19 


910 

NEIGHBORHOOD  AND  SOCIAL  CONTACT 

This  report  tells  only  a  part  of  the  story.  It  shows 
the  number  interested  in  particular  forms  of  recreation. 
It  does  not  include  those  who  come  to  the  Club  merely 
to  rest  or  to  chat,  or  out  of  sheer  friendliness  or  socia¬ 
bility,  and  who  sat  around  the  fireplace  in  that  cold 
week  and  enjoyed  the  company  of  fellowmen.  It  does 
not  tell  what  a  bleak,  barren  time  it  might  have  been  in 
Locust  Valley  if  there  had  been  no  Neighborhood  House 
and  no  Matinecock  Neighborhood  Association  to  sup¬ 
port  it.  To  the  wideawake  citizen  of  a  small  community 
it  indicates  that  what  Matinecock  did  is  not  impossible 
in  his  own  community.  It  suggests  that  similar  benefits 
may  accrue  to  any  village  or  town  if  it  catches  the  vision 
of  the  bettering  of  the  world  for  which  this  war  was 
fought,  by  erecting  and  organizing  a  Community  House 
as  its  living  memorial. 


Community  JlutltnngS  as  ®2Uar  iMemorialS 


THE  COMMUNITY  BUILDING  AS  A  CLEARING 
HOUSE  OF  COMMUNITY  ENDEAVOR 

Elgin,  Nebraska 

The  farmers  and  town-people  of  Elgin  organized  a 
community  club  for  mutual  benefit  in  1917  and  incor¬ 
porated  it.  In  a  comparatively  short  time  a  sufficient 
amount  of  stock  was  sold  at  $100  per  share  to  start  in 
business  under  the  corporation  law.  Over  $25,000  was 
raised,  although  Elgin’s  population  is  only  about  1,000, 
because  support  from  the  nearby  farmers  was  obtained 
for  the  project. 

A  home  was  then  wanted,  and  the  Elgin  opera- 
house  was  purchased.  At  that  time  the  building  was 
little  more  than  four  brick  walls,  forty  by  eighty  feet  in 
dimensions,  with  a  basement  and  two  stories.  An  archi¬ 
tect  was  employed  and  elaborate  plans  were  made  for 
remodeling  the  building.  Nothing  like  it  had  ever  been 
attempted  in  the  small  village,  and  many  were  the 
knocks  and  stumbling  blocks  along  the  way.  Despite 
the  predictions  of  many  that  “it  couldn’t  be  done,”  and 
“there  ain’t  no  such  animal,”  Elgin  now  has  a  club  build¬ 
ing  which  is  the  pride  of  the  community. 

Among  the  features  of  the  Community  House  are 
an  auditorium  which  is  used  for  picture  shows,  home  en¬ 
tertainments,  road  shows  and  public  entertainments  of 
all  kinds  that  are  approved  by  the  directors;  a  ladies’ 
rest  room  which  is  open,  clean  and  comfortable  every 
day  of  the  year ;  a  gymnasium,  banquet  and  dance  hall 
and  a  well-furnished  kitchen ;  a  game  room  which  is  lo- 


8 


existing  Community  Houses 


cated  in  the  basement  and  contains  two  bowling  alleys, 
two  pool  tables  and  a  billiard  table;  a  library  which  is 
open  to  members  at  all  times,  and  adjoining  the  library 
a  directors’  room  and  a  business  office.  Wash  rooms 
are  on  all  floors,  and  there  are  shower  baths  in  the 
gymnasium. 

A  HEADQUARTERS  OF  CIVIC  EFFORT 

The  work  and  usefulness  of  the  club  are  broad  and 
the  building  itself  is  nothing  less  than  a  clearing-house 
for  the  entire  community.  All  matters  of  general  inter¬ 
est  are  referred  to  the  club.  It  handles  Chautauquas, 
lecture  courses,  carnivals,  sports  and  public  improve¬ 
ments  when  not  under  the  control  of  village  or  township 
officers;  it  promoted  Red  Cross  work  and  encouraged 
the  purchase  of  Liberty  Bonds ;  it  looks  after  solicitors 
with  a  view  of  keeping  out  “grafters.”  It  has  organized 
a  company  of  home  guards,  gives  plays  with  home  talent, 
and  provides  clean  public  entertainment.  The  rooms 
are  given  free  for  meetings  of  a  public  nature,  such  as 
those  of  the  village  board,  the  fire  department,  the  Red 
Cross  and  the  home  guards. 

MEMBERSHIP  BASED  ON  FAMILY  PLAN 

There  are  244  members  of  the  club,  including  fam¬ 
ily  membership.  Of  this  number  thirty-two  families 
reside  on  farms  adjacent  to  Elgin. 

The  rates  for  yearly  membership  are  as  follows: 
Class  A,  $15  for  family  membership,  including  children 
under  twenty-one  years  of  age;  Class  B,  $12,  comprising 
single  men ;  Class  C,  $5,  youths  under  twenty-one  years 


Community  Jguiltimgs  as  ®3SJar  jWcmorials 


of  age  whose  parents  are  not  members;  Class  D,  $4, 
women  over  twenty  years  of  age;  Class  E,  $5,  non-resi¬ 
dents  ;  Class  F,  $2,  girls  under  twenty-one  years  of  age 
whose  parents  are  not  members.  Each  shareholder  has 
a  vote  per  share.  All  parts  of  the  building  are  accessible 
to  members,  but  fees  are  charged  for  admission  to  enter¬ 
tainments  and  for  game-room  privileges. 

A  plan  of  membership  dues  similar  to  the  above, 
based  on  families,  is  used  in  other  places,  as  for  example, 
Norwood,  Mass. 

THE  FORTNIGHTLY  COMMUNITY  DINNER 

Twice  a  month,  on  Thursday  evening,  the  club  gives 
a  dinner  in  the  banquet  room  to  members  at  fifty  cents 
a  plate.  The  serving  is  preceded  by  a  short  musical  or 
literary  program,  and  after  dinner  the  business  meeting 
is  held.  Entire  families  attend,  and  the  finest  feeling  of 
community  friendship  and  betterment  is  generated. 
This  is  a  great  feature  of  the  work.  Any  business  re¬ 
lating  to  the  club  or  the  welfare  of  the  community  may 
be  brought  up  at  these  meetings  and  discussed.  How¬ 
ever,  the  officers  and  the  board  of  directors  are  held 
responsible  for  all  transactions  coming  under  the  direct 
transactions  of  the  corporate  body. 

Excellent  advice  is  contained  in  a  recent  letter  from 
the  secretary  of  Elgin  Community  House. 

NO  FAILURE  POSSIBLE 

He  says: 

“There  are  no  failures.  Our  work  is  an  experiment; 
we  always  expect  a  reaction  of  some  sort  and  it  always 


10 


existing  Communttp^ouSeS 


comes.  Many  times  it  assumes  entirely  unexpected 
forms  and  surprising  ones.  Many  times  we  drop  a  given 
program  because  the  reaction  is  not  what  we  expected, 
but  we  do  not  consider  the  experiment  a  failure.  Rather 
we  tried  it  out  in  order  to  find  out  what  it  might  lead  to, 
and  even  though  results  were  unpleasant,  the  experiment 
was  a  success  because  of  its  revelations  to  us.  The  great 
reason  why  so  many  communities  are  really  failing  is 
because  they  are  constantly  in  fear  of  failure.  They 
want  to  be  so  everlastingly  sure  of  success  that  they 
never  try  anything  and  hence  never  attain  to  the  very 
thing  of  which  they  desire  to  be  certain. 

“the  everlasting  dance  question” 

“For  instance:  The  everlasting  dance  question.  In 
a  multitude  of  instances  on  which  I  have  addressed  in¬ 
stitutes,  some  one  was  sure  to  raise  the  propriety  of  per¬ 
mitting  it.  We  frankly  confess  it  is  a  problem,  but  we 
contend  that  it  has  to  be  reckoned  with  and  will  not  be 
disposed  of  with  mere  high  sounding  phrases.  Instead 
of  merely  trying  to  prohibit  it  absolutely,  we  tried  to 
find  the  greatest  objections,  and  shaped  our  course  ac¬ 
cordingly.  We  feared  that  if  we  closed  down  on  it  al¬ 
together  the  dancing  element  would  go  and  put  up  a 
cheap  dance  hall  and  we  would  have  the  same  old 
trouble.  I  have  many  interesting  experiences  to  relate, 
but  among  them  the  following  reactions : 

“When  our  policy  and  rules  were  announced,  cer¬ 
tain  members  of  a  fraternal  organization  said:  ‘We’re 
not  going  to  stand  for  a  Sunday  School  method  of  telling 
us  what  to  do,  we’ll  show  them  we  can  dance  just  as  we 


m 


Community  Jguilbtnes;  as  3®ar  jWemorialS 


please  without  dictation  from  anybody.’  They  prevailed 
on  the  lodge  to  install  a  high-priced  piano  in  their  hall 
with  a  view  to  capturing  the  dancing  patronage  of  the 
community.  They  had  just  one  dance  in  their  hall,  and 
that  was  enough  to  prove  that  the  dancers  really  pre¬ 
ferred  to  take  their  folks  to  our  building  where  we  had 
made  such  attractive  provision  for  them.  We  have  had 
no  trouble  about  competition  since.  However,  there  is 
still  a  greater  surprise  than  ever.  Under  our  policy  of  a 
family  membership,  a  man’s  wife  and  daughters  have 
just  as  much  right  to  bowl  and  play  billiards  as  he  has. 
They  are  using  that  privilege,  and  time  and  again  they 
have  had  to  coax  the  young  people  away  from  the  bowl¬ 
ing  alleys  in  order  to  have  enough  folks  for  the  dance 
sets.  I  submit  for  your  reflection  whether  or  not  that  is 
a  wholesome  result. 

* 

UNEXPECTED  RESULT  OF  A  MEMBERSHIP  CAMPAIGN 

“Again  we  planned  a  membership  campaign  and  ex¬ 
pected  a  certain  farm  neighborhood  about  ten  miles  away 
to  come  in  with  us.  But  this  was  the  surprising  reaction. 
Our  plan  was  so  successful  that  they  didn’t  want  to  come 
in,  but  organized  one  themselves,  centering  around  their 
church  and  schoolhouse. 

“As  a  result  of  the  activities  of  the  two  organiza¬ 
tions  a  strip  of  fine  highway  between  the  two  neighbor¬ 
hoods  was  constructed  across  a  sandy  waste  at  an  ex¬ 
pense  of  almost  $5,000  raised  by  popular  subscription. 
In  view  of  these  facts,  I  raise  this  question:  Was  the 
membership  campaign  a  failure?” 


12 


Cxfetmg  Community  Rouses 


The  La  Jolla  Community  House,  San  Diego,  Calif.,  shows  an  admirable 
adaptation  of  California  mission  architecture 

A  COMPLETE  PLAYGROUND  PLANT  AND 
COMMUNITY  HOUSE  COMBINED 

San  Diego,  California. 

In  July,  1915,  Miss  Ellen  B.  Scripps  of  La  Jolla,  a 
neighborhood  of  San  Diego,  California,  authorized  Mr. 
Frank  Marsh,  Superintendent  of  Playgrounds  in  San 
Diego,  to  build  as  complete  a  “plant”  as  possible  without 
regard  to  cost,  as  a  gift  from  her  to  San  Diego.  This 
city  has  a  population  of  85,000  and  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  cities  in  the  country.  Miss  Scripps  is  intensely 
interested  in  the  recreation  movement  and  is  one  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Playground  and  Recreation 
Association  of  America. 


13 


Community  $uittitngs  as  ®Har  Jttemorials 


T he  kitchen 
of  the  La  Jolla 
C  o  m  m  unity 
House  contrib¬ 
utes  largely 
to  the  success 
of  the  ban - 
q  u  et  s,  chil¬ 
dren’s  Christ- 
m  a  s  parties 
and  similar 
entertainments 
held  in  the  as¬ 
sembly  room . 


Floor  Plan  of  La  Jolla  Community  House.  The  large  assembly  room  has  a 
stage ,  and  is  used  for  theatricals ,  as  well  as  banquets,  dances 
and  conferences. 

14 


existing  Community  Rouses 


The  La  Jolla  plant  is  said  to  include  one  of  the 
most  complete  playgrounds  and  community  houses  in 
the  country.  Mr.  Frank  Marsh,  Superintendent  of  the 
“Community  House,”  declares  that  he  believes,  after 
visiting  some  35  cities,  that  his  plant  is  one  of  the  best. 
The  size  of  the  site  is  570  by  300  feet,  and  the  value  of 
the  plant  is  $180,000.  The  value  of  the  land  of  this 
playground  is  estimated  at  $100,000  and  $80,000  was 
spent  in  construction  and  equipment.  It  took  eleven 
months  to  build. 

The  building  is  designed  in  the  California  mission 
style  of  architecture  and  is  especially  attractive  in  ap¬ 
pearance.  It  has  functioned  throughout  the  war  period 
as  a  center  for  civic  war  work,  and  has  been  successful 
as  a  recreational  center.  A  community  drama  organ¬ 
ization  has  developed  in  the  community  house  theatre 
and  the  social  and  recreational  rooms  are  constantly  in 
use.  Reports  indicate  that  this  is  one  of  the  most  suc¬ 
cessful  buildings  of  the  kind  in  the  country. 

Mr.  Marsh  says :  “Every  one  who  can  do  so  ought 
to  visit  the  La  Jolla  Community  House  of  San  Diego.” 

FACILITIES  EXTENSIVE  ENOUGH  TO  PLEASE  EVERYBODY 

“Some  special  features  of  the  plant  are  the  concrete 
wading  pool,  the  concrete  tennis  courts,  colored  with 
chrom-oxide  (green)  to  take  off  the  glare  of  the  sun. 
The  entire  playground  is  so  brilliantly  lighted  with  500 
and  1,000  watt  nitrogen  lamps  that  all  activities  are 
carried  on  at  night  as  well  as  in  the  day  time. 

“The  Community  House  is  provided  with  a  large 
auditorium,  a  stage  completely  equipped  with  scenery, 


15 


Community  JSutlbtngs  as  ®®ar  Jltmortals 


colored  lights  and  dimmers;  club  rooms,  reading  room, 
pool  room,  locker  and  shower  rooms,  separate  offices 
for  the  men  and  women  workers,  and  a  manual  training 
room ;  a  hospital  ward,  which  is  headquarters  for  a  dis¬ 
trict  nurse,  and  a  kitchen  completely  equipped  with 
stoves,  cooking  utensils,  dishes,  silverware,  tablecloths, 
with  the  necessary  tables  for  serving  and  cooking  any 
kind  of  a  meal  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  people.  We 
also  have  a  complete,  up-to-date  lantern  room,  equipped 
with  a  motion-picture  machine,  double  dissolving  stere- 
opticon  and  spot-light  machine.  We  feel  that  we  can 
take  care  of  any  phase  of  the  recreational  life  of  the 
community.” 

Large  numbers  of  people'  are  using  the  facilities 
constantly.  Mr.  Marsh,  in  speaking  of  the  house,  says 
optimistically:  “Henry  Curtis  says  it  is  the  last  word 
in  playgrounds.  But  it  is  not  going  to  be  the  last  word.” 
He  is  no  doubt  right,  for  among  the  memorials  of  this 
war  there  are  destined  to  be  a  number  of  community 
houses  which  may  excel  that  of  San  Diego.  There  will 
be  no  “last  word”  in  this  field.  As  communities  reap 
the  advantages  of  the  edifices  they  have  built,  they  will 
inspire  other  communities  to  even  greater  efforts. 

A  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  SAVES  A  TOWN 
MONEY 

Holden,  Mass. 

There  are  many  uses  community  houses  have  served 
that  were  not  contemplated  originally,  and  many  of 
these  are  emergency  uses.  Often  substantial*  savings 


16 


existing  Community  Rouses 


have  been  made  possible  because  of  the  facilities  of  the 
community  house. 

Holden,  Mass.,  a  town  of  2,100  population,  has  had 
frequent  occasion  to  make  use  of  its  community  house 
in  ways  that  were  not  thought  of  when  built.  We  are 
leaving  out  very  interesting  material  concerning  Hol¬ 
den’s  busy  Community  House  in  order  to  show  the 
special  services  it  has  rendered. 

AN  AID  TO  THE  SCHOOLS 

The  particular  need  for  the  Community  House  of 
Holden  was  demonstrated  in  the  winter  of  1917-1918. 
The  School  Committee  of  Holden  had  for  some  time 
been  convinced  of  the  need  for  adding  a  course  on 
Household  Arts  to  the  high  school  curriculum.  How¬ 
ever,  there  were  no  facilities  in  either  the  high  school 
'  or  the  town  buildings.  For  a  long  while  they  were  hin¬ 
dered  in  their  plans. 

This  situation  suggested  an  idea  to  the  directors  of 
Community  House,  and  they  offered  the  use  of  the 
kitchen  on  the  second  floor.  This  was  at  once  accepted 
and  the  course  in  Household  Arts  established.  Prac¬ 
tically  every  girl  in  the  high  school  who  was  eligible,  has 
selected  the  course,  and  sixteen  periods  a  week  are  held 
at  the  Community  House.  This  has  meant  a  material 
saving  to  the  town,  for  practically  no  expenditure  was 
necessary  for  equipment, — a  merely  nominal  rental  be¬ 
ing  charged  the  town. 

THE  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  AIDS  THE  CHURCHES 

The  value  of  the  Community  House  was  further 
emphasized  when  the  coal  shortage  struck  Holden. 


17 


Community  Jgutftring#  as:  Mfar  Jfflemortate 


Some  of  the  churches  having  large  heating  plants  found 
it  impossible  to  hold  their  services  and  others  could  do 
so  only  at  a  very  great  expense.  At  this  juncture  the 
community  house  was  offered  to  each  church  society. 
This  offer  was  accepted  the  churches  and  led,  in  fact, 
to  the  uniting  of  mid-week  meetings  in  the  assembly 
hall,  thus  saving  an  appreciable  amount  of  fuel  in  their 
own  buildings. 

COMMUNITY  HOUSE  AIDS  THE  TOWN  GOVERNMENT 

Matters  grew  worse  in  that  cold  winter  and  heat 
became  more  and  more  of  a  problem.  It  became  impos¬ 
sible  to  use  the  heating  plant  in  the  Town  Hall  at  one 
time,  and  all  meetings  scheduled  there  were  transferred 
without  charge  to  the  Community  House.  These  in¬ 
cluded  the  Holden  Grange  meeting  and  an  all-day  ses-. 
sion  of  the  Farmers’  and  Mechanics’  Club.  The  policy 
of  the  directors  of  the  Community  House  is  to  serve 
the  people  of  the  town  in  every  way  and  to  depend  upon 
their  appreciation  for  their  continued  support. 

TOWN’S  EMERGENCY  NEEDS  MET  BY  THE 
COMMUNITY  HOUSE 

Many  emergency  needs  were  met  by  the  Com¬ 
munity  House  in  addition  to  those  outlined  above.  The 
building  was  of  great  service  during  the  epidemic  of  in¬ 
fluenza,  becoming  an  annex  to  the  local  hospital  for  two 
weeks.  In  every  emergency  Holden  has  seen  an  added 
demonstration  of  the  benefits  from  its  Community 
House. 


18 


existing  Community  Rouses 


The  clerk  of  the  Holden  Community  Corporation 
adds  valuable  comment  to  our  account.  He  states : 

COMMUNITY  HOUSE  BROADLY  FINANCED 

“Perhaps  the  two  most  important  reasons  for  our 
success  have  been  that  in  financing  the  proposition  we 
have  endeavored  to  secure  as  many  individual  subscrip¬ 
tions  as  possible,  and  have  not  encouraged  large  giving 
by  any,  thus  spreading  the  interest  in  the  House  as  far 
as  possible. 

The  second  reason  for  our  success  seems  to  be  in 
serving  the  Community  in  every  possible  way  and  in 
anticipating  its  needs.” 

A  PURELY  VOLUNTARY  ORGANIZATION . 

“We  have  had  no  real  failures — through  our  gen¬ 
erosity  some  years  have  not  seen  revenue  enough  to  pay 
expenses  from  rentals,  but  we  have  always  had  our  stock 
sales  oversubscribed. 

“We  have  absolutely  no  connection  with  any  part 
of  the  town  government.  We  are  an  incorporated  body 
and  all  our  affairs  are  under  direct  control  of  the  stock¬ 
holders  through  our  directors.  Our  relations  with  the 
various  officials  are  most  pleasant,  and  we  have  had 
many  favors  from  their  hands,  such  as  free  illumination 
on  fete  nights,  adjustment  of  power  charges  while  the 
Red  Cross  were  using  the  building,  extension  of  grano¬ 
lithic  walk  near  our  property,  etc. 

“We  have  no  endowment  but  believe  that  our  ven¬ 
ture  is  so  well  established  that  we  may  hope  for  aid 
from  this  source.  Our  revenue  comes  from  rental  of 


19 


Community  Jiuilbings  afi  OTtar  jWemortalS 


quarters  to  various  organizations,  also  from  use  of  as¬ 
sembly  hall  for  teas,  dances,  club  meetings,  etc.  In  nor¬ 
mal  times  this  is  sufficient  to  cover  our  expenses.” 

URGES  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  AS  A  MEMORIAL 

“Fortunately  we  have  not  felt  the  need  of  changing 
our  original  plan  of  operation,  and  I  feel  that  if  a  simi¬ 
lar  one  were  followed  elsewhere  it  could  serve  very  suc¬ 
cessfully  as  such  a  memorial.” 

A  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  INCREASES  A  TOWN’S 
SPHERE  OF  INFLUENCE 

Kentfield,  California. 

• 

“How  big  need  a  community  be,”  it  will  be  asked, 
“in  order  that  a  community  house  may  be  a  success?” 
Experience  demonstrates  that  a  successful  community 
house  serves  not  merely  its  own  town  but  the  surround¬ 
ing  neighborhood  as  well.  Thus,  the  Tamalpais  Center, 
a  Community  House  in  Kentfield,  California,  serves  not 
only  the  population  of  Kentfield,  some  400,  but  draws 
on  a  district  population  of  about  4,000.  One  need  not 
urge  the  point  that  such  support  from  neighboring  com¬ 
munities  adds  considerably  to  the  financial  success  and 
the  opportunity  for  broadened  service. 

THE  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  DONATED 

Kentfield  was  very  lucky,  for  the  building  was  a 
gift  of  Mrs.  A.  E.  Kent.  It  is  a  beautiful  structure  built 
especially  for  this  purpose  by  the  donor  in  1909  at  a  cost 
of  $22,000.  It  contains  among  other  features  an  audi- 


20 


(Existing  Community  Rouses 


torium,  with  stage  scenery,  kitchen  facilities,  a  shop  for 
manual  work  and  club  rooms,  which  are  used  by  such 
organizations  as  the  Tamalpais  Center  Woman’s  Club, 
the  Kentfield  Civic  Association  and  the  Marin  County 
May  Fete  Association.  The  latter  holds  a  big  annual 
May  festival  which  alone  brings  in  from  $350  to  $450. 

The  official  statement  of  the  Tamalpais  Center 
Association  gives  the  following  as  the  basis  of  its 
existence : 

TO  MAKE  LIFE  MORE  WORTH  LIVING 

•‘It  is  the  purpose  of ‘Tamalpais  Center  to  en¬ 
courage  the  establishment  of  facilities  for  public 
recreation  and  education  to  the  intent  of  making 
life  more  worth  the  living  for  old  and  young  of  this 
community.” 

Tamalpais  Center  is  a  legal  corporation  organized 
in  1908,  primarily  for  the  purpose  of  holding  title  to 
certain  property  which  had  already  been  dedicated  or 
which  will  in  future  be  dedicated  to  social  purposes  at 
Kentfield.  Thus  far  this  property  consists  of  twenty- 
nine  acres  of  land  together  with  the  improvements, 
including  the  club  building,  90x100  feet,  and  the 
playground  apparatus. 

A  FORTNIGHTLY  PROGRAM  OF  A 
COMMUNITY  HOUSE 
Purchase,  N.  Y. 

The  William  A.  Read  Memorial  House,  at  Pur¬ 
chase,  N.  Y.,  is  a  gift  intended  for  the  use  of  all  its 
citizens. 


21 


(Community  JBuiltungs  as  ®Sar  jWemorials; 


The  Read 
Memorial 
Community 
House  at 
Purchase ,  N. 
Y.  The  use 
of  native 
gray  stone  as 
a  building 
material  of¬ 
fers  sugges¬ 
tions  to  other 
communities. 


One  of  the  chief  attractions  of  the  Purchase  building  is  the  well-laid-out 
groups  surrounding  it. 


22 


Cxtgttng  Community  %ou geg 


The  Assembly  Hall ,  as  can  be 
seen  from  the  second  floor  plan 
{left),  is  the  full  height  of  the 
building ,  with  a  spacious  gallery 
extending  across  one  end .  The 
basement  plan  below  shows  the 
gymnasium . 


Detail, showing  the  rear 
entrance  to  the  Read 
Memorial  Community 
blouse. 


23 


Community  JSuiltrings!  as  OTiar  jWemortalS 


The  fortnightly  program  shown  in  facsimile  here  is 
published  by  the  House  as  an  announcement  of  ap¬ 
proaching  events.  In  the  hot  weeks  of  July,  when  activ¬ 
ities  were  at  a  low  ebb  everywhere,  Purchase  seems  to 
have  been  unusually  well  provided  for  recreationally, 
and  the  interest  shown  during  the  mid-summer  month 
indicates  how  much  more  the  Read  Memorial  means  to 
the  town  in  other  seasons. 


“THE  PURCHASE  COMMUNITY” 

PURCHASE  ST.  North  of  Harrison  Ave.  PURCHASE,  N.  Y. 

WM.  JUSSERAND  DE  FOREST,  Director  Telephone,  White  Plains  2636 

LOUIS  B.  ROLSTON,  President 
WILLIAM  MULDOON,  DONN  BARBER,  Vice-Presidents 
MRS.  STEPHEN  V.  BRITT,  Secretary  CARL  PFORZHEIMER,  Treasurer 

Tuesday,  July  1st — 3.00  P.  M.  Girls’  Folk  Dancing  Class. 

7.30  P.  M.  Boy  Scouts’  Meeting.  Rev.  G.  F.  Wells,  Scout  Master. 

8.30  P.  M.  Movies.  Title  to  be  announced  on  Community  House  Bulletin 
Board.  Admission  23c.,  children  17c. 

Wednesday,  July  2nd — 2.00  P.  M.  Red  Cross. 

8.30  P.  M.  Men’s  Association.  Monthly  Meeting  and  Athletics. 

8.30  P.  M.  Library  Committee  Meeting. 

Thursday,  July  3rd — 3.00  P.  M.  Girls’  Folk  Dancing  Class. 

Friday,  July  4th — 11  A.  M.  Independence  Day  Celebration.  Exhibition  by  Boy 
and  Girl  Scouts.  All  men  of  the  town  of  Harrison  who  served  in  the  war  are 
especially  invited  to  be  present  and  are  asked  to  wear  their  uniform.  An  army 
officer  will  speak.  Name  will  be  given  later  on  Community  House  Bulletin 
Board. 

8.30  P.  M.  Dance.  Admission  50c.  a  couple.  Ladies  25c.  Ice  cream  and 
cake  served  at  10  P.  M. 

Saturday,  July  5th — 2.30  P.  M.  The  Golden  Rod  Troop  has  invited  all  the  Girl 
Scout  troops  of  Northern  Westchester  to  the  Spring  Rally  on  the  circle  “Hill- 
crest.”  All  the  neighborhood  is  invited  to  attend. 

4  to  6  P.  M.  Open  house.  Tea  served.  Girls’  Roadside  Market. 

Sunday,  July  6th — Church  services. 

Monday,  July  7th — 3.15  P.  M.  Girls*  Domestic  Science  Class. 

3.00  P.  M.  Monthly  meeting  Woman’s  Association. 

Tuesday,  July  8th — 3.00  P.  M.  Girls’  Folk  Dancing  Class. 

7.30  P.  M.  Boy  Scouts’  Meeting. 

8.30  P.  M.  Movies.  Title  to  be  announced  on  Community  House  Bulletin 
Board.  Admission,  adults  23c.,  children  17c. 


24 


existing  Community  Rouses 


Wednesday,  July  9th — 2.00  P.  M.  Red  Cross. 

8.30  P.  M.  Men’s  Association.  Athletic  Practice. 

8.30  P.  M.  Library  Committee  Meeting. 

Thursday,  July  10 — 3.00  P.  M.  Girls’  Folk  Dancing  Class. 

8.30  P.M.  Concert  under  the  auspices  of  the  Woman’s  Association.  Ad¬ 
mission  35c. 

Friday,  July  11th — 8.30  P.  M.  Dance.  Admission  50c.  a  couple.  Ladies  25c. 
Ice  cream  and  cake  served  at  10  P.  M. 

Saturday,  July  12th — Afternoon.  Girls’  Roadside  Market. 

4  to  6  P.  M.  Open  house.  Tea  served. 

Sunday,  July  13th — Church  services  as  stated  below. 

Monday,  July  14th — 3.15  P.  M.  Girls’  Domestic  Science  Class. 

3.30  P.  M.  House  Committee  Meeting.  Capt.  H.  Esberg,  Chair. 

Tuesday,  July  15th — 3.00  P.  M.  Girls’  Folk  Dancing  Class. 

7.30  P.  M.  Boy  Scouts’  Meeting. 

8.30  P.  M.  Movies.  Title  to  be  announced  on  Community  Bulletin  Board. 
Admission  23c.,  children  17c. 


Library  open  for  circulation  of  books  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Friday,  2  to 
4.  P.  M.  Donation  of  books  and  periodicals  solicited.  Mrs.  Clarence  N.  Peacock, 
Librarian. 

The  Girls’  Roadside  Market  took  in  over  seventeen  dollars  on  the  first  Satur¬ 
day  afternoon.  The  girls  are  glad  to  receive  fresh  fruit,  flowers  and  vegetables  to 
be  sold  on  a  ten  per  cent,  commission. 

It  is  hoped  that  there  may  be  a  large  attendance  at  the  concert  to  be  given  by 
the  Woman’s  Association,  the  evening  of  July  10th. 

A  fund  to  purchase  equipment  for  the  gymnasium  is  being  raised.  Two  hun¬ 
dred  dollars  is  needed,  of  which  one  hundred  is  already  promised.  Contributions 
for  this  may  be  sent  to  the  Director. 

The  Tennis  Court  has  been  put  in  order,  a  net  and  balls  purchased,  and  is  now 
open  free. 

Mrs.  Whitelaw  Reid  has  generously  installed  electric  light  in  the  Chapel  on  her 
estate,  which  she  permits  the  Community  to  use  and  has  also  arranged  for  the 
services  of  a  professional  organist  at  the  Sunday  services. 

NOTICE — Bulletin  will  be  published  on  the  1st  and  15th.  Notices  must  be  in 
hands  of  Mrs.  P.  H.  Goodsell,  Chairman,  on  or  before  the  20th  and  5th  of  the 
month. 


25 


Community  JButUitngS  as  ®8Sar  jWeniorialS 


AN  INDUSTRIAL  RECREATION  CENTER 
BECOMES  A  COMMUNITY  HOUSE 
Ludlow,  Mass. 

The  Ludlow  Athletic  and  Recreation  Association 
is  a  club  of  men  and  women  organized  in  1896  for  the 
encouragement  of  athletics,  recreation  and  social  gath¬ 
erings  among  the  employes  of  the  Ludlow  Manufactur¬ 
ing  Associates,  an  organization  of  industrial  firms  of  the 
locality.  The  membership  has  not  been  restricted,  how¬ 
ever,  to  employes  and  consequently  has  widened  until 
many  citizens  not  in  industry,  have  been  included.  In 
the  belief  that  such  an  association  would  prove  of  benefit 
to  the  whole  community,  the  Ludlow  Manufacturing 
Associates  found  room  for  housing  its  activities,  and  in 
1906  constructed  the  Stevens  Memorial  Building,  turn¬ 
ing  it  over  for  use,  free  of  rental,  with  light,  heat  and 
water  furnished  as  well. 

This  reduces  the  expenses  of  upkeep  considerably, 
and  the  building  thus  finds  it  possible  to  meet  expenses 
by  very  low  dues  which  are  $2  annually  for  the  men, 
$1.50  for  the  women,  and  only  sixty  cents  for  those 
under  fourteen  years  of  age.  In  addition,  small  fees 
are  charged  for  lockers,  for  the  use  of  pool  tables  or 
bowling  alleys,  and  for  attendance  in  the  special  classes 
of  cooking,  sewing  and  millinery.  About  $6,500  is 
raised  this  way  every  year.  There  are  about  1,500 
members,  and  as  the  total  population  of  the  town  is  only 
6,000  this  membership  is  rather  a  conclusive  indication 
of  the  wide  service  which  the  Stevens  Memorial  Build¬ 
ing  is  giving.  Many  patrons  of  the  building  use  it  of 
course  who  are  not  members.  Sixty  per  cent  of  the  mem- 


26 


(Existing  Community  Rouses 


bership  consist  of  men  and  boys,  and  the  other  forty 
per  cent  of  women  and  girls. 

The  management  of  the  Association  is  vested  in  a 
board  of  sixteen  directors,  twelve  of  whom  are  men  and 
four  women.  These  are  elected  by  ballot  by  the  annual 
members,  any  of  whom  is  eligible  for  office.  There  are 
few  paid  officials,  for  the  directors  have  tried  to  organize 
the  leadership  on  a  volunteer  basis.  The  following  com¬ 
mittees  are  among  those  annually  appointed :  Gymnas¬ 
tics,  Dramatics,  Dance  and  Music,  Domestic  Science, 
Social,  Finance,  Field,  and  Membership. 

The  club  house  is  excellently  equipped  and  has  been 
a  source  of  great  pleasure  to  its  patrons.  It  is  a  brick 
building  three  stories  that  cost  $75,000  to  build.  In  the 
basement  there  is  a  pool  forty-eight  feet  by  seventeen 
feet  in  dimensions,  also  locker  rooms,  shower  and  tub 
baths,  and  three  bowling  alleys.  The  first  floor  is  divided 
into  two  parts  with  separate  entrances,  one  side  of  the 
building  containing  the  men’s  reading  and  smoking 
room,  and  a  pool  and  billiard  room  with  eleven  tables, 
the  other  having  the'  women’s  club  room,  an  office,  and 
smaller  rooms  in  which  are  conducted  classes  for  the 
women.  The  second  floor  contains  the  large  assembly 
hall,  eighty  by  sixty  feet  with  a  good  stage  and  is  used 
as  a  gymnasium.  The  running  track  is  used  as  a  balcony, 
and  the  hall  may  thus  accommodate  800  people. 

This  gymnasium  is  the  arena  for  many  basketball 
games  and  athletic  contests.  It  is  very  popular  also  for 
its  dances,  which  are  held  under  instructors  once  a  week 
during  the  season,  and  at  other  times  under  the  auspices 
of  various  fraternal  and  social  organizations.  On  other 


27 


Community  JBuilbutgs  as  ®2Har  ^Memorials 


nights  there  are  moving  pictures,  lectures,  amateur 
theatricals  and  similar  social  affairs.  The  Stevens 
Memorial  Building  is  taxed  to  capacity  because  of  the 
wide  interest  in  its  activities.  The  pool  is  used  by  young 
and  old  and  some  of  the  regular  classes  in  swimming 
have  as  many  as  a  hundred  members.  Classes  in  dress¬ 
making,  millinery,  cooking,  etc.,  are  well  attended,  and 
the  social  facilities  constantly  used. 

A  park  and  playground  of  seven  and  one-half  acres 
adjoins  the  building  and  is  a  mecca  for  outdoor  sports  in 
the  summer.  In  addition  to  two  baseball  diamonds  and 
a  cinder  track  there  is  a  well-equipped  children’s  play¬ 
ground  that  is  organized  to  attract  large  numbers  of 
children  and  succeeds  in  bringing  them  out  even  on  the 
hottest  days. 

A  WINTER  SPORTS’  PALACE  AND  COM¬ 
MUNITY  CENTER 

Eveleth,  Minn. 

In  January  of  this  year  (1919)  Eveleth,  Minn.,  had 
a  celebration  which  was  not  only  one  of  the  biggest  ever 
held  in  that  city,  but  one  which  attracted  the  attention 
of  municipalities  all  over  the  country  and  made  a  pro¬ 
found  impression  on  the  Northwest.  This  celebration 
marked  the  opening  night  of  Winter  Sports’  Palace,  a 
project  for  all  the  10,000  people  of  Eveleth,  that  cost 
approximately  $125,000  to  build. 

The  history  of  the  building  is  interesting.  It  origi¬ 
nated  with  the  need  for  more  adequate  facilities  for  a 
game  known  as  “curling,”  played  on  ice  or  an  ice  rink. 


28 


existing  Community  Rouses 


While  it  is  not  known  to  those  in  Southern  climes,  it  is 
played  much  in  Canada  and  in  the  Northwest.  The 
local  curling  club  found  that  it  wras  at  a  disadvantage  in 
not  having  the  right  kind  of  rink,  and  began  to  consider 
building  a  new  rink.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  project 
broadened  in  their  eyes  and  the  plan  evolved  until  it 
centered  on  having  the  city  erect  a  building  which  would 
be  suitable  for  a  general  recreational  institution.  The 
city  saw  the  advantage  of  this  and  decided  to  make  pro¬ 
vision  for  a  really  modern  recreational  building,  that 
could  be  used  throughout  the  year,  and  provide  for  such 
gatherings  as  that  of  the  Commercial  Club,  Woman’s 
Club,  etc. 

The  building  has  facilities  for  banquets,  mass  meet¬ 
ings,  displays,  farmer’s  market,  dancing,  roller  skating, 
ice  skating,  and,  of  course,  curling.  The  unobstructed 
floor  is  used  in  other  seasons  for  games  and  for  big  meet¬ 
ings.  Many  small  committee  rooms  are  included  as  well 
as  provisions  for  rest  and  comfort  of  all  the  people  who 
might  want  to  use  the  building.  No  institution  in  the 
city  compares  in  patronage  with  that  of  the  Winter 
Sports’  Palace.  The  success  of  the  building  may  be  at¬ 
tested  by  many  tributes,  of  which  the  following  is  an 
example : 

“It  is  the  opinion  of  the  majority  of  the  people 
that  no  better  action  could  have  been  taken.  The 
morals  of  the  children  are  better  maintained  by  the 
means  of  having  such  a  place  of  recreation.  The 
saloons  being  closed,  it  serves  as  a  public  gathering 
place  for  young  men  and  old.  It  is  a  municipal  in¬ 
stitution  that  has  long  been  needed  in  Eveleth.” 


29 


Community  JSutllnngS  as  WLav  jWemonalss 


COMMUNITY  HOUSES  IN  BIG  CITIES 

Community  houses  in  very  large  cities,  serving 
central  needs  of  the  whole  population,  are  as  yet  rare 
and  the  form  taken  is  rather  that  of  centers  in  neighbor¬ 
hoods  or  boroughs.  Such  neighborhood  community 
houses  are  often  located  near  playground  and  other  out¬ 
door  facilities  and  serve  the  varied  interests  of  all  of  the 
people  in  that  section  of  the  city. 

Neighborhood  memorials  have  often  been  erected 
in  important  subdivisions  of  big  cities  and  several  of 
these  are  being  considered  now.  A  description  of  some 
of  the  existing  neighborhood  houses  will,  therefore,  be 
an  aid  to  those  who  see  the  advantages  of  establishing 
similar  community  centers. 

A  RECREATION  CENTER  AND  COMMUNITY 

HOUSE 
Peoria,  Illinois. 

Not  many  communities  will  have  the  good  fortune 
of  securing  a  community  house  established  by  a  dona¬ 
tion  from  one  citizen  and  endowed  by  him  so  as  to  take 
care  of  its  annual  needs  without  the  scramble  for  funds. 
The  John  C.  Proctor  Recreation  Center  of  Peoria, 
Illinois  (population  80,000)  is  so  endowed.  It  was  built 
in  1913  at  a  total  cost  of  $238,000,  of  which  $40,000 
was  for  the  grounds  and  $13,000  for  the  furniture  and 
equipment.  Except  for  receipts  of  $4,000  from  slight 
charges  made  on  certain  services  for  the  purposes  of 
control  and  moral  effect,  such  as  two  cents  for  a  bath 


30 


Existing  Community  Rouses 


or  swim,  the  budget  of  $20,0GQ  is  supplied  from  the  en¬ 
dowment  fund.  A  self-perpetuating  board  of  seven 
trustees  is  in  charge. 

With  so  much  money  at  command  when  it  was 
built,  it  is  to  be  expected  that  the  building  has  ex¬ 
ceptional  facilities.  Among  other  features  are  two  gym¬ 
nasiums  40  feet  by  71  feet  each,  two  large  entertainment 
halls,  two  complete  bath  sections,  a  library,  a  bowling 
and  billiard  room,  a  laundry  plant,  a  swimming  pool 
40  feet  by  96  feet,  three  playgrounds,  tennis  courts  and 
baseball  diamonds. 

PEOPLE  RESPOND  TO  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  PROGRAM 

This  extensive  “plant”  is  well  patronized  and  its 
superintendent  is  enthusiastic  over  the  responsiveness 
of  the  people.  Much  pleasure  is  afforded  in  summer 
through  the  swimming  pool  and  playground,  and  during 
all  the  year  through  bowling,  billiards,  entertainments 
and  socials,  as  well  as  through  the  gymnasium  facilities. 
The  center  is  well  located,  being  in  a  congested  part  of 
the  city.  Games  among  the  adults  have  proved  very 
popular,  and  have  awakened  the  instinct  for  play  and 
recreation.  Bowling  seems  to  be  especially  appreciated 
by  the  young  people.  The  total  number  of  times  the 
center  has  been  used  is  recorded  as  1,320,000  for  the 
last  five  years,  this  being  the  known  aggregate  of  occa¬ 
sions  when  individuals  came  to  the  center  for  some 
form  of  recreation. 

COMMUNITY  HOUSES  ARE  POPULAR 

One  of  the  great  doubts  in  the  minds  of  those  in¬ 
terested  in  Community  Houses  is  whether  the  people 


31 


Community  jSUnlbtngs  as  tStar  jWemorials 


The  John  C. 
Proctor  Recre¬ 
ational  Center 
of  Peoria,  III . 
— one  of  the 
best  buildings 
of  its  kind  in 
existence .  An 
endowment 
fund  provides 
adequately  for 
its  m  a  i  n  t  e  - 
nance . 


View  of  the 
Womenys  Loggia . 

A  corner  of  the 
swimming  pool 
court . 


32 


existing  Community  Houses! 


End  view  of 
building.  The 
second  floor 
contains  an  au¬ 
ditorium  with 
a  stage  and 
dressing  room 
for  theatricals . 


The  building  is .  so 
arranged  that  all 
its  departments  are 
easily  accessible 
from  the  rotunda 
and  office . 


The  arrangement  of 
the  swimming  pool 
is  such  that  it  is  in 
the  open  air  al¬ 
though  entirely  en¬ 
closed  by  the  build¬ 
ing . 


The  end  of  the 
circulation  cor¬ 
ridors  provide 
waiting  places 
for  bathers  when 
the  pool  is 
crowded . 


The  corridors 
also  serve  as 
spectators'  gal¬ 
leries. 


33 


Community  JShitlbtngs:  as  ©0ar  JWemortate 


will  really  use  them.  They  are  obsessed  with  the  fear 
that  they  might  build  a  handsome  and  worthy  structure 
or  edifice  only  to  find  it  isolated  in  the  community’s 
activities  and  serving  only  occasional  and  casual  pur¬ 
poses.  Evidence,  however,  from  almost  every  com¬ 
munity  house  establishes  the  constant  use  of  the  club’s 
facilities.  Wherever  reasonable  judgment  has  been  used 
in  the  location  and  planning  of  a  community  house, 
popularity  is  likely  to  be  too  great  rather  than  insuffi¬ 
cient,  and  the  trouble  of  the  secretary  will  more  likely 
be  that  of  adjusting  the  many  requests  for  use  of  the 
building  rather  than  that  of  finding  patrons. 

Superintendent  A.  H.  Hyatt  of  the  Proctor  Recrea¬ 
tion  Center  writes :  “The  Community  House  as  a  war 
memorial  is  a  fine  idea.  Moreover,  many  communities 
seem  to  be  looking  into  the  matter,  judging  from  in¬ 
quiries  we  have  received.” 

PARK  COMMUNITY  CENTERS 
Columbus,  Ohio. 

In  a  city  of  the  size  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  with  a 
population  that  exceeds  a  quarter  of  a  million,  it  is 
natural  to  find  some  good  community  centers.  The 
Glenwood  Park  community  center,  built  in  1915  at  a 
cost  of  $25,000  is  deservedly  popular  in  that  section  of 
the  city.  It  is  a  municipal  project,  financed  by  taxation, 
and  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Recreation  and  Park 
Department,  but  a  co-operating  committee  of  citizens 
has  been  appointed,  in  order  that  many  phases  of  com¬ 
munity  endeavor  may  be  undertaken. 


34 


(Existing  Community  Rouses 


Many  activities  are  carried  on  in  the  Center,  rang¬ 
ing  from  kindergarten  classes  for  the  infants,  and  gym¬ 
nasium  and  club  work  for  children  to  folk  dancing  and 
lectures  for  the  adult  population.  Adults  are  interested 
also  in  special  gymnasium  work,  orchestral  work  and 
community  singing,  and  attend  the  entertainments 
arranged  frequently.  A  Married  Women’s  Gym.  Club 
is  very  popular.  The  directors  have  seen  the  value  of 
intensive  organization  and  of  competition.  They  have 
organized  teams  in  the  various  churches,  schools  and  in¬ 
dustries  in  the  neighborhood  and  arranged  contests 
among  them  that  have  brought  out  a  great  deal  of  en¬ 
thusiasm. 

The  Glenwood  Park  Community  Center  is  suffering 
from  too  small  a  budget.  It  is  badly  in  need  of  rooms 
for  quiet  games  and  facilities  for  other  recreational  in¬ 
terests.  Its  finances  have  been  inadequate  for  its  pro¬ 
gram,  and  it  has  thus  been  unable  to  open  its  pool  for 
swimming.  With  a  liberal  budget,  the  Center  could 
serve  the  neighborhood  much  more  efficiently.  This 
point  suggests  a  very  important  provision  for  a  memorial 
community  house. 

THE  WASHINGTON  PARK  CENTER 

In  another  section  of  Columbus  there  is  the  Wash¬ 
ington  Park  Community  Center,  which  was  constructed 
in  1917  at  a  cost  of  $40,000,  and  supported  by  the  city 
government.  Its  program  of  activities  is  similar  to  that 
described  above  for  the  Glenwood  Park  Community 
Center.  One  of  the  excellent  features  of  the  work  is  the 
organization  of  the  South  Side  Civic  Association,  a 


35 


Community  JBuilbingS  as  ®0ar  jfflemortalS 


who  know  of  the  work  being  done  there  that  perhaps  a 
Memorial  Community  House  will  be  built  to  help  in 
meeting  the  problem. 

THE  GARFIELD  LODGE  AT  GRAND  RAPIDS,  MICH. 

Another  example  of  a  park  neighborhood  house  is 
the  Garfield  Lodge,  on  the  Garfield-Fletcher  Playground 


voluntary  group  of  citizens  that  has  given  a  great  deal 
of  moral  support  and  assistance  to  the  Community 
Center,  in  which  it  feels  a  genuine  interest.  As  in  the 
case  of  the  Glenwood  Park  Community  Center,  the  one 
at  Washington  Park  has  proved  inadequate  for  its  large 
clientele,  and  it  has  become  the  hope  of  many  of  those 


The  great 
popularity  of 
GarfieldLodge, 
Grand  Rapids , 
Mich,  {right) , 
as  a  gathering 
place  for  lo¬ 
cal  organiza¬ 
tions  has  re¬ 
quired  the  in¬ 
troduction  of 
a  car  e  fully 
planned  book¬ 
ing  system . 


36 


(Existing  Community  Houses 


in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.  It  was  built  eight  years  ago 
as  the  gift  of  Mrs.  H.  E.  Garfield  to  the  city  of  Grand 
Rapids.  The  building  cost  $6,800  and  is  constructed 
of  cement  plaster.  Among  its  facilities  are  meeting 
rooms,  a  restaurant  and  a  very  broad  cement  veranda 
of  nearly  the  area  of  the  Lodge  itself,  which  is  an  ex¬ 
cellent  adjunct  to  the  meeting  rooms  in  summer. 

The  Lodge  is  used  every  day  of  the  year,  and  has 
become  so  busy  a  place  that  a  regular  booking  system 
was  installed  in  order  to  accommodate  all  the  people 
who  made  requests  for  dates  for  meetings  and  gather¬ 
ings.  Many  societies  of  girls  have  come  from  all  parts 
of  the  city  for  parties  and  socials  because  the  Lodge  is 
so  well  supervised  under  the  Park  Board. 

The  success  of  the  Garfield  Lodge  has  lead  to  a  desire 
on  the  part  of  the  people  to  multiply  the  benefits  of  the 
building  for  different  sections  of  the  municipality  by 
furnishing  community  houses,  to  be  placed  upon  parks 
and  playgrounds. 

COMBINING  SCHOOLS  AND  COMMUNITY 
A  SOCIAL  CENTER  IN  A  HIGH  SCHOOL 
La  Salle-Peru,  Ill. 

In  the  absence  of  real  community  houses,  specific¬ 
ally  built  for  that  purpose,  varied  are  the  forms  which 
communities  have  adopted  in  working  out  their  plans 
for  housing  its  leisure-time  activities.  Of  particular  in¬ 
terest  is  the  account  of  the  combination  High  School 
and  Social  Center  described  below  by  its  director  and 
principal,  Mr.  Thomas  J.  McCormack.  It  is  suported 

37 


Community  Putlbingsf  ass  Wiar  jWcmortalss 


by  public  taxation  through  the  Township  High  School 
and  the  school  directors  are  the  trustees  of  it.  Mr.  Mc¬ 
Cormack  tells  a  big  story  very  briefly: 

The  Social  Center  of  the  La  Salle-Peru  Township 
High  School  of  La  Salle,  Illinois,  was  made  possible  by 
the  munificence  of  the  late  Mr.  F.  W.  Matthiessen  of 
La  Salle.  Mr.  Matthiessen  gave  $75,000  originally  for 
the  erection  of  a  recreation  building,  containing  a  gym¬ 
nasium,  club  rooms,  and  swimming  pool.  This  was 
followed,  just  before  his  death,  by  a  sum  of  about  $75,000 
for  the  erection  of  an  addition  to  the  Recreation  Build¬ 
ing  and  improvements  in  the  main  High  School  building. 
Mr.  Matthiessen  also  gave  an  outdoor  swimming  pool. 
The  township  Board  of  Education  also  made  consider¬ 
able  contributions  to  the  new  enterprise  and  the  citizens 
of  the  community  donated  money  for  the  erection  of  a 
concrete  grandstand,  costing  $2,500  on  the  athletic 
grounds  included  in  Mr.  Matthiessen’s  gift. 

The  cost  of  maintaining  the  Social  Center  is  borne 
entirely  by  the  Township  Board  of  Education,  which  is 
an  educational  taxing  body,  representing  the  cities  of  La 
Salle,  Peru,  and  Oglesby,  and  the  country  districts,  with 
a  total  population  of  30,000  people.  The  Center  is  situ¬ 
ated  in  the  western  part  of  the  City  of  La  Salle,  near  the 
line  of  the  city  of  Peru.  Owing  to  the  unfavorable  topog¬ 
raphy  of  the  town  at  this  point  and  to  the  distance  of 
Oglesby  from  the  Center  (five  miles),  the  equipment  is 
not  equally  accessible  to  all  the  population  and  the 
Center  is  accordingly  tised  more  largely  by  the  districts 
near  at  hand.  Primarily,  it  is  for  the  use  of  high  school 
students,  but  the  completeness  of  the  equipment  and  its 


38 


€xtsting  Community  Rouses 


The  Social 
Center  of  the 
La  Salle-Peru 
T o w n s h  ip 
High  School. 


large  facilities  enable  it  to  cater  to  an  adult  and  juvenile 
public  manyfold  larger  than  the  high  school  attendance. 
The  cost  of  running  the  center  is  about  $8,000  a  year, 
which  is  paid  out  of  the  educational  high  school  funds. 

EXPENSIVE  COMMUNITY  PROGRAM  CARRIED  OUT 

The  auditorium  is  for  the  use  of  the  school  and 
public.  The  fee  for  its  use  is  merely  nominal.  In  it  are 
held  all  high  school  events,  many  of  the  town’s  edu¬ 
cational  entertainments,  and  many  of  the  entertain¬ 
ments  of  churches  of  all  denominations.  As  to  activities, 
there  are  indoor  baseball  league  games  of  all  kinds, 
medal  contests,  club  socials,  story-telling  classes,  folk 
dancing  classes,  track  meets,  card  parties,  dances,  com¬ 
mittee  meetings,  sewing  classes  for  girls,  First  Aid  lec¬ 
tures,  lectures  on  physical  culture,  story-telling  instruc- 


39 


Community  Jlmltringsi  as  ®Har  JWemortalsi 


tion  for  girls  who  are  to  teach  in  the  country,  boys’  ban¬ 
quets,  parents’  nights,  wrestling  classes,  swimming 
meets,  physical  examinations,  military  drills,  adult 
men’s  and  women’s  gymnasium  classes,  and  so  on. 
These  activities  are  not  all  carried  on  at  the  same  time, 
but  vary  according  to  the  season  and  interest.  In  the 
summer  we  have  tennis  playing,  girls’  classes  in  making 
doll  clothes  and  in  cutting  for  scrap  books,  outdoor  base¬ 
ball  league  games,  swimming  contests,  Social  Center  pic¬ 
nics,  amateur  theatricals,  soccer  games,  horseshoe 
games,  hikes,  community  singing,  etc. 

The  success  of  these  groups  varies  according  to  the 
season  and  other  factors.  Our  attendance  in  July  was 
over  23,000  and  in  August  over  31,000.  In  the  other 
months  it  goes  as  low  as  from  10,000  to  12,000. 

MANCHESTER’S  SCHOOL  AND  COMMUNITY 

CLUB 

Manchester,  Connecticut 

A  combination  of  school  and  community  center  run 
on  a  different  plan  exists  in  Manchester,  Connecticut. 
It  was  built  in  1917  and  is  modern  in  its  equipment,  as  it 
includes  a  swimming  pool,  four  billiard  and  pool  tables, 
two  bowling  alleys,  a  good-sized  gymnasium,  reading 
rooms,  smoking  rooms,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  well  patron¬ 
ized.  The  cost  of  the  original  building  which  exceeded 
$200,000  was  met  by  a  donation  from  Cheney  Brothers, 
a  local  firm.  Many  social  activities  are  carried  on  that 
serve  the  people.  During  the  war  practically  all  the  war 
work  activities  centered  about  this  building. 


40 


existing  Community  Rouses 


Policies  are  determined  by  a  committee  of  five 
serving  three  years,  two  of  whom  are  appointed  by  the 
School  Board  and  three  elected  by  the  School  District. 
It  has  no  voting  membership,  but  there  is  a  membership 
fee  for  patrons,  the  dues  being  $5  for  men  and  $3  for 
women  and  girls  and  boys  under  18  years  of  age.  The 
total  annual  budget  is  met  principally  by  public  taxation 
in  the  school  district. 

THE  COMMUNITY  SCHOOL  BUILDING  AT  WHEATON,  MINN. 

The  combination  of  school  and  community  center 
is  found  frequently,  and  the  lack  of  a  central  community 
house  is  thus  bridged  temporarily.  Wheaton,  Illinois,  is 
proud  of  its  “Community  School  Building,”  and  calls  it 
“The  Wheaton  Idea.”  One  of  the  advantages  claimed 
for  such  a  wider  use  of  the  school  building  is  that  of 
bringing  the  school  and  the  community  in  closer  rela¬ 
tionship  than  ever  before. 

One  official  of  Wheaton  says  enthusiastically: 

“  ‘The  Wheaton  Idea’  develops  the  proper  com¬ 
munity  spirit  and  has  brought  town,  country  and  school 
into  closer  touch  and  cooperation  than  anything  else  for 
the  advancement  of  the  human  family.” 

A  MUSEUM  FORCED  INTO  USE  AS  A 
COMMUNITY  CENTER 

Santa  Fe,  New  Mex. 

The  new  community  spirit  in  America  will  not  be 
balked  in  seeking  means  of  making  its  efforts  effective. 


41 


Community  Jlutlbitigs  as  ©iar  dFWt mortals 


When  the  city  of  Santa  Fe,  the  capital  of  New  Mexico, 
found  that  it  needed  a  community  house  and  could  not 
build  one  especially  for  the  purpose,  resourcefulness 
found  another  way. 

There  is  a  fine  new  museum  building  in  Santa  Fe. 
This  was  pressed  into  use  and  soon  proved  to  be  one  of 
the  most  valuable  assets  in  the  state.  The  secretary  of 
the  museum,  Mr.  Paul  A.  F.  Walter,  describes  the  suc¬ 
cess  achieved  in  such  a  striking  way  that  we  quote  some 
striking  passages  from  a  recent  letter  written  to  the 
Bureau  of  Memorial  Buildings : 

“Contrary  to  impression,  the  new  Museum  Build¬ 
ing  is  a  typical  community  center.  In  the  first  six 
months  after  its  dedication  43  meetings  were  held  in  its 
auditorium,  attended  by  21,000  people — three  times  the 
population  of  Santa  Fee.  Anglo-Saxon,  Spanish-Ameri- 
can,  Indian,  officials,  artists,  writers,  composers,  clergy, 
all  mingled  at  these  gatherings.  In  addition  there  were 
many  small  meetings  around  the  big  fire-place,  in  the 
library,  in  the  social  rooms,  in  the  women’s  reception 
rooms.  Events  ranging  from  the  inauguration  of  the 
Governor  to  the  Roosevelt  Memorial  Service,  from  In¬ 
dian  dance  dramas  to  Community  Theatre  perform¬ 
ances,  from  union  Thanksgiving  Service  to  school  and 
college  commencements,  from  patriotic  rallies  to  a 
McDowell  recital  by  Mrs.  McDowell,  were  beautifully 
and  effectively  staged  in  the  auditorium. 

The  community  loves  to  gather  in  the  building  and 
the  State  regards  the  structure  with  loving  pride.  The 
Red  Cross,  the  Councils  of  Defense,  the  Woman’s  Club, 
the  Cave  Dwellers,  the  various  other  civic  organizations 


42 


existing  Community  Rouses 


make  it  their  meeting  place.  The  beautiful  patio  re¬ 
sounds  with  out-of-door  frolics,  and  the  attractive  read¬ 
ing  room  and  art  galleries  are  never  without  visitors. 
Of  course,  the  fact  that  the  building  is  situated  on  the 
town  plaza,  right  in  the  midst  of  the  community  life, 
that  it  is  so  well  adapted  to  all  sorts  of  purposes  and 
that  it  is  typical  of  the  traditions,  the  history,  the  an¬ 
tiquity,  the  genius  of  the  people,  that  it  fits  into  the 
environment  and  has  grown  out  of  the  soil,  so  to  speak, 
all  combine  to  make  it  a  throbbing,  pulsing,  inspiring 
part  of  the  community  life. 

“In  addition,  of  course,  it  is  the  focus  for  the  visit¬ 
ors  who  come  to  Santa  Fe  and  there  you  meet  them  from 
all  ends  of  the  earth.  Last  year  we  had  30,000  visitors 
from  outside  of  Santa  Fe — four  times  the  population  of 
the  town. 

COMMUNITY  MEMORIAL  SHOULD  BE  CENTRALLY  LOCATED 

“It  seems  to  me  that  the  memorial  that  is  to  serve 
as  a  community  center  should  be  located  in  the  center 
of  population,  where  the  tides  of  people  sweep  by  and 
can  sweep  in ;  that  its  architecture  should  be  expressive 
of  the  environment  and  history  of  the  community;  that 
it  should  be  adaptable  to  house  the  civic  societies  with 
serious  purposes  and  also  be  available  for  expressions  of 
the  play  spirit;  that  it  should  have  a  bit  of  the  out-of- 
doors  within  its  protecting  walls,  something  like  our 
patio,  and  that  it  be  beautiful  without  and  within,  and 
house  beautiful  things.” 


43 


Community  JSutlbtngs  as  WLav  Memorials 


THE  WAR  BRINGS  BATTLE  CREEK  A 
COMMUNITY  HOUSE 

Battle  Creek,  Mich. 


When  the  War  Department  decided  to  send  large 
numbers  of  troops  to  Camp  Custer,  near  Battle  Creek, 
Mich.,  a  city  of  32,000  souls,  the  state  of  Michigan 
appropriated  $300,000  for  a  building  to  be  erected  at 
the  entrance  of  the 
camp,  and  turned 
over  the  keys  to  War 
Camp  Community 
Service  for  manage¬ 
ment  and  control. 

During  the  war  and 
the  demobilization 
period  that  followed, 
the  Camp  Custer 
Community  House 
proved  of  immeasur¬ 
able  value  to  the  men 
in  service,  their  rela¬ 
tives  and  friends. 

The  building  is  one 
of  the  unique  insti¬ 
tutes  in  the  country, 
being  built  entirely 
of  Michigan  prod¬ 
ucts.  Hemlock  and  0ne  °f  the  big  fireplaces  in  the  Battle 
,  ,  Creek  Community  House ,  showing  some 

III  a  p  1  Winch  are  of  the  “made  in  Michigan”  furniture . 


44 


€xt£<tmg  Community  Rouses 


characteristic  of  Michigan,  were  used  entirely  in  the 
construction  and  every  feature  was  made  to  suggest  the 
spirit,  industry  and  enterprise  of  the  state.  Impressive 
in  every  way  and  splendid  in  its  architectural  arrange¬ 
ments,  the  fame  of  the  building  has  been  widespread 
and  its  usefulness  unlimited. 

It  is  anticipated  that  Camp  Custer  will  be  a  perma¬ 
nent  military  camp,  which  gives  added  incentive  to  the 
plan  for  making  the  Community  House  a  permanent 
institution  for  the  benefit  of  both  community  and  camp. 
Not  only  Battle  Creek,  but  Kalamazoo  and  Grand 
Rapids  also  will  be  the  beneficiaries  of  the  action  of  the 
States  of  Michigan  in  providing  this  building.  It  is 
expected  that  the  Community  House  at  Camp  Custer 
will  become  one  of  the  notable  successes  in  community 
endeavor. 

A  WAR  WORK  BUILDING  IS  TURNED  INTO  A 
COMMUNITY  HOUSE 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 

In  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  a  building  formerly  the 
home  of  Gordon  Academy,  was  remodelled  at  the  ex¬ 
pense  of  the  city  and  is  conducted  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Civic  Recreation  Commission,  of  which  the  Mayor 
is  honorary  chairman. 

In  the  Salt  Lake  City’s  Municipal  Record  of  Feb¬ 
ruary,  1919,  an  interesting  account  of  the  new  Com¬ 
munity  Recreation  House  is  contained,  written  by  John 
A.  Boyle.  We  quote:  “Careful  attention  was  given  to 
the  furnishings  and  equipment  of  this  club,  without 


45 


Community  JiutUritigs  a$  Wlat  iWemorialg 


which  they  would  serve  requirements  of  utility  only. 
The  two  large  fireplaces,  after  the  French  style,  form  the 
centerpiece  and  decorative  center  of  the  large  living 
room.  The  walls  are  in  gray,  with  white  woodwork  and 
old  rose  cretonne  hangings.  Included  are  comfortable 
wicker  chairs,  a  davenport,  bookcases  and  tables.  The 
well-arranged  lighting  fixtures  blend  harmoniously  and 
convey  the  impression  of  a  refined  atmosphere.  On  this 
floor,  in  addition  to  the  living  room,  are  a  lecture  room 
used  for  dramatics  and  as  a  banquet  hall,  the  domestic 
science  kitchen  and  office.  Above  stairs  are  two  club 
rooms  of  equally  striking  appointments,  a  gymnasium  in 
which  special  attention  was  given  to  lighting  and  venti¬ 
lation,  and  a  spacious  room  devoted  to  shower  baths  and 
locker  compartments.” 

THE  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  SOLVES  LEISURE-TIME  PROBLEM 

“The  club  house  has  been  in  active  operation  since 
January  7, 1919.  The  list  of  activities  during  the  month 
of  January  include  gymnasium  classes,  in  the  evening 
for  adults  and  in  the  afternoons  and  on  Saturday  for 
children.  During  the  three  weeks  ending  February  1, 
408  adults  and  children  attended  these  gymnasium 
classes.  There  are  two  classes  each  week  in  interpre¬ 
tative  dancing,  the  attendance  for  the  same  period  being 
116.  One  evening  each  week  is  devoted  to  military 
marching,  including  semaphore,  setting  up  drills  and 
first  aid,  the  attendance  being  148.  Basketball  is  played 
every  Wednesday  evening.  Hikes  are  planned  for  every 
Sunday  afternoon,  giving  the  business  girls  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  get  into  the  canyons  and  mountains.  Hockey 


46 


existing  Community  Houses 


teams  have  been  organized  and  play  two  mornings  each 
week.  A  good  assortment  of  games  has  been  provided 
and  are  proving  very  popular.  A  branch  of  the  public 
library  has  been  installed  and  books  and  magazines  are 
constantly  in  use.  A  piano  and  victrola  are  here  for  the 
lovers  of  music. 

“Sixty  prominent  women  representing  the  various 
organizations  and  churches  of  the  city  have  been  ap¬ 
pointed  to  serve  as  hostesses,  two  each  evening.  Every 
evening  brings  new  girls  to  the  recreation  center.  Lonely 
girls  who  want  companionship,  and  groups  come  inquir¬ 
ing  for  classes  and  clubs  or  for  just  a  good  time.  Alto¬ 
gether,  over  a  thousand  girls  have  come  to  the  recrea¬ 
tional  house  this  month  for  organized  recreational  activi¬ 
ties.  Five  hundred  and  eighty-two  have  come  for  organ¬ 
ized  club  or  class  work.  Two  hundred  visitors  have 
come  in.  Two  super-clubs  have  been  organized,  com¬ 
posed  of  business  girls.  Two  new  clubs  of  business 
women  have  been  organized,  programs  planned  and 
meetings  established.  A  glee  club,  under  splendid  lead¬ 
ership,  has  been  newly  organized. 

“The  progress  and  accomplishments  during  the 
short  time  the  institution  has  been  in  existence  are  very 
gratifying  to  all  interested  in  the  work.  Many  evenings 
have  been  given  over  to  the  entertainment  of  the  men  in 
uniform  and  those  who  have  returned  from  the  sendee 
through  the  cooperation  of  the  local  War  Camp  Com¬ 
munity  Sendee.  The  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the 
service  of  which  this  Community  Recreation  Club  is  the 
nucleus  might  form  the  subject  of  many  volumes.  It  is 


47 


Community  PutltringS  a£  ®SHar  Jttemorials 


A  circus  is  one  of  the  annual  activities  held  in  the  Locust  Valley  Community 
House .  It  is  hard  to  say  whether  actors  or  audience  enjoy  the  event  most . 

one  of  the  tangible  units  of  completed  organization  that 
will  perpetuate  in  the  community  the  service  that  War 
Camp  Community  Service  is  now  rendering.” 

A  MUNITION  WORKERS’  RECREATION  BUILD¬ 
ING  BECOMES  A  COMMUNITY  HOUSE 

Pompton  Lakes,  N.  J. 

When  the  war  ended  and  the  munitions  plant  of  the 
Du  Pont  Company  at  Pompton  Lakes,  N.  J.,  was  forced 
to  cease  its  production,  the  town  was  left  with  a  splendid 
building  that  could  serve  community  purposes.  It  con¬ 
tains  a  fine  gymnasium,  a  large  hospitality  room  with  a 
cheery  fireplace,  extensive  porches,  meeting  rooms  and 


48 


€xtJrting”Communitj>  Rouses 


offices  and  a  kitchen  that  have  served  many  of  the  rec¬ 
reational  needs  of  the  munitions  workers,  for  whom  it 
had  been  built.  The  municipality  saw  the  advantages 
of  turning  the  building  into  use  as  a  Community  House, 
and  when  the  Du  Ponts  offered  it  for  this  purpose  free, 
on  condition  that  it  would  be  maintained  by  the  citizens, 
they  promised  to  have  a  financial  campaign  early  in 
1920  for  its  support.  In  the  meanwhile  the  Y.  W.  C.  A. 
War  Work  Council  is  in  charge  and  working  it  up  as  a 
community  center.  After  January  1st  a  special  com¬ 
mittee  or  board  will  be  elected  to  take  charge  of  the 
Community  House. 

A  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  COMBINED  WITH  A 
A  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  FOR  THE 
YOUNG  FOLKS 
Peabody,  Mass. 

Ordinarily,  the  term  “community  house”  embraces 
all  elements  of  the  community,  but  in  Peabody,  Mass, 
(population  18,500),  we  find  a  successful  organization 
known  as  the  “Peabody  Community  House,  Inc.,”  which 
aims  solely  to  engage  the  leisure  time  activities  and  pro¬ 
mote  the  welfare  of  the  younger  set,  with  especial  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  boys  and  girls. 

A  campaign  of  eight  days  in  February,  1916,  netted 
the  sum  of  $22,000.  A  building  was  remodelled  and 
fitted  up  at  a  cost  of  $9,000  and  made  to  contain  a 
gymnasium,  an  auditorium  and  stage  and  other  popular 
features.  In  a  recent  report  of  the  success  of  the  build- 


49 


Community  JSutlbtngg  ad  <KHar  jtlemorials 


ing  the  chairman  phrases  his  approval  of  the  Community- 
House  in  this  apt  way.  “ Day  after  day,  night  after 
night,  it  has  been  filled  with  people  and  with  life” 

CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 
Butler,  Pennsylvania 

A  Community  House  that  is  combined  with  a 
Chamber  of  Commerce  or  a  church  has  a  very  real  prob¬ 
lem  of  avoiding  misunderstanding  due  to  the  sensitive¬ 
ness  of  creeds  and  labor  organizations.  Wherever  pos¬ 
sible,  therefore,  it  would  be  best  for  a  community  house 
to  be  controlled  by  its  own  membership  and  that  other 
organizations  be  subsidiary  to  it  in  case  they  use  the 
building.  In  Butler,  Pa.  (population  30,000),  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  seems  to  have  been  successful  in 
establishing  a  center  for  the  community,  though  its  na¬ 
ture  seems  to  be  rather  that  of  an  official  meeting  place 
than  a  recreational  center. 

A  three-story  building,  formerly  the  old  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
was  taken  over  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  some  two 
years  and  a  half  ago  as  a  Community  Building.  In  it 
are  lodged  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Butler  County 
Farm  Bureau,  the  Business  Men’s  Association,  the  State 
Highway  Department,  the  Butler  Automobile  Club,  and 
various  other  associations  dealing  with  community 
development. 

A  large  room  for  farmers  is  maintained  in  which 
farmers  are  welcome  at  any  time  to  hold  meetings,  check 
their  parcels,  meet  friends,  read  a  paper,  eat  lunch  or 
have  conferences.  An  auditorium  in  the  second  story 


50 


existing  Community  Rouses 


affords  a  place  for  public  meetings.  No  charge  is  made 
for  the  use  of  this  room,  when  the  purpose  of  the  meeting 
is  clearly  for  the  development  of  the  community.  For 
revenue,  the  auditorium  and  other  rooms  are  rented  to 
private  individuals  to  help  finance  the  building. 

The  need  supplied  by  the  Community  Building  will 
be  seen  in  the  fact  that  some  400  meetings  were  held  in 
the  Community  Building  in  the  course  of  a  year. 

CHURCHES  AID  THE  COMMUNITY  HOUSE 

A  CHURCH  TURNS  OVER  ITS  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  TO  THE 

COMMUNITY 

Sheboygan,  Wisconsin 

The  James  H.  Mead  Club,  in  Sheboygan,  Wis. 
(population  30,000),  is  a  real  community  house,  organ¬ 
ized  on  a  membership  basis.  It  was  established  in  1916 
as  the  result  of  a  gift  from  the  donor,  Mr.  Mead,  supple¬ 
mented  by  subscriptions.  The  total  cost  of  the  build¬ 
ing,  which  was  remodeled,  and  the  equipment  was 
$50,000.  Nominally,  the  building  is  under  the  control 
of  the  Congregational  Church,  because  of  certain  pro¬ 
visions  in  the  donations,  but  these  have  been  circum¬ 
vented  and  actually  it  is  a  community  proposition. 
Ordinary  membership  dues  vary  from  one  to  five  dollars, 
yielding  an  annual  income  of  $7,000.  These  members 
elect  the  administrative  commission.  Only  members 
use  the  building. 

Among  its  many  activities  are  gymnastic  training, 
folk  and  social  dancing,  Boy  Scout  work,  Red  Cross 


si 


Community  Jlutllrings!  as  3S0ar  iWemorials 


work,  bowling,  classes  in  Home  Economics  and  French, 
orchestra  rehearsals  and  concerts,  billiards,  singing, 
dramatic  performances,  general  community  socials  and 
gatherings  and  open  forum  lectures.  Activities  for  girls 
are  successfully  carried  on,  and  over  600  girls  are  mem¬ 
bers,  many  from  nearby  factories. 

A  CHURCH  OPERATES  A  COMMUNITY  HOUSE 
Rutland,  Vermont 

An  instance  of  a  Community  House  operated  by  a 
church  is  that  of  the  Community  House  of  Rutland, 
Vermont.  We  are  quoting  the  following  from  a  letter 
from  Arthur  H.  Bradford,  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  that  city,  written  in  J anuary  of  this  year. 

“The  beginning  of  the  work  was  made  possible  by 
a  gift  from  ex  Gov.  John  A.  Mead  to  our  Church  So¬ 
ciety.  His  purpose  was  to  establish  a  general  center  for 
wholesome  recreation  and  social  opportunity.  Fearing 
the  instability  of  a  community  organization  he  decided 
to  give  the  property  to  the  church.  We  had  already 
proved  our  ability  to  do  a  community  work  by  con¬ 
ducting  clubs  and  classes  in  which  young  people  of 
many  different  faiths  were  enrolled. 

“The  property  consists  of  a  large  three-story  brick 
club  house  and  a  gymnasium  52  x  85  feet  in  dimension. 
We  have  a  budget  of  approximately  $3,500.  We  are 
raising  this  money  partly  by  contribution  of  $50  each, 
partly  by  smaller  subscriptions  and  partly  also  by  mem- 


52 


Cxisftins  (Eommumtp  Rouses 


bership  dues  paid  by  those  who  belong  to  the  various 
clubs  and  classes.  Though  our  activities  began  only 
about  Thanksgiving  time  we  now  have  approximately 
500  members  taking  part  in  our  club  and  class  work. 

“There  are  no  Y.  M.  C.  A.  or  Y.  W.  C.  A.  organiza¬ 
tions  in  the  city.  Moreover,  the  schools  have  no  gymna¬ 
sium  facilities.  Hence  our  opportunity  is  great.  Our 
members  come  from  practically  all  the  churches  in  the 
city,  both  Catholic  and  Protestant.  The  club  and  class 
work  is  strictly  non-sectarian.  We  have  a  man  in¬ 
structor  for  the  boys’  and  men’s  classes  and  a  young 
woman,  a  graduate  of  the  Sargent  School,  in  charge  of 
the  girls’  and  women’s  class  work.  We  also  have  a 
Director  of  Girls’  Club  Work  who  is  a  volunteer,  and  a 
paid  assistant  for  the  boys’  club  work.  Then  there  are 
several  volunteers  for  the  smaller  organizations.  We 
have  club  rooms  with  pool  tables  for  boys  and  young 
men.  The  general  direction  of  the  buildings,  the  ar¬ 
rangement  of  schedules,  the  clerical  and  executive  work 
are  all  carried  on  in  my  office. 

“I  might  add  that  the  social  activities  of  the  young 
people  of  the  community  are  centering  here  to  a  large 
degree.  The  High  School  basket  ball  games  and  the 
dances  are  held  in  the  gymnasium  under  our  general 
supervision.  Perhaps  the  most  encouraging  feature  of 
the  work  just  now  is  the  interest  of  the  young  women 
who  work  in  stores  and  offices  through  the  day.  They 
are  coming  in  large  numbers  for  our  evening  gymnasium 
classes.”  i  i 


53 


Communttp  Jlutlbtngai  as  ®Har  JWemortals! 


CHURCH  COMMUNITY  HOUSE  SHOULD  BE 
NON-SECTARIAN  IN  POLICY 

Randolph,  Vermont 

Donors  to  churches  seeking  the  most  valuable  way 
of  making  a  gift  to  a  community  have  lately  been  turn¬ 
ing  more  and  more  to  the  idea  of  a  Community  House. 
In  Randolph,  Vt.,  a  town  of  3,500,  one  man  interested 
in  the  Bethany  Church,  gave  $40,000,  to  which  popular 
subscriptions  of  $15,000  were  added,  and  a  community 
house  costing  $55,000  erected,  in  1905.  Although  it  re¬ 
mains  under  the  control  of  the  Bethany  Church,  it  serves 
the  community  broadly  in  a  non-sectarian  way,  and  is  a 
busy  center  of  many  town  activities.  Some  of  its  best 
friends  admit  that  from  the  standpoint  of  a  community 
the  community  house  should  be  unconnected  with  any 
particular  church  and  managed  broadly  by  democratic 
control  of  all  the  citizens. 


54 


Cxtettug  Community  Rouses 


IN  CONCLUSION 

No  attempt  is  made  in  this  bulletin  to  present  a 
complete  report  of  existing  community  centers.  Effort 
has  been  made,  rather,  to  select  examples  of  the  more 
successful  types.  The  community-house  idea  has  been 
developing  for  many  years  and  under  a  variety  of 
sponsors.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Institutional  Church 
and  the  public  school  have  all  contributed  valuable 
assistance  in  the  growth  of  the  movement. 

A  most  interesting  report  on  the  development  of 
rural  community  centers  is  being  prepared  by  the  De¬ 
partment  of  Agriculture  at  Washington  which  is  said  to 
deal  with  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  successful  small 
town  community  centers. 

From  a  survey  of  community  houses  valuable  les¬ 
sons  may  be  drawn.  There  have  been  failures  as  well  as 
successes  and  both  seem  to  point  to  certain  principles : 

The  community  center  should  be  the  outgrowth 
of  community  needs,  and  only  as  it  meets  these 
needs  adequately  is  its  permanence  assured. 

The  community  building  must  be  centrally 
located  so  as  to  be  easily  available  to  the  largest 
possible  constituency. 

The  facilities  should  be  planned  with  a  view 
to  the  future  growth  of  the  community  and  its 
broadened  recreational  life. 

The  community  house  and  its  activities  must 
be  ably  financed.  The  problem  of  financing  is  not 
so  difficult  as  it  at  first  appears.  A  truly  successful 


55 


Community  Jgutlbingff  as  ZEZHar  jWemoriate 


community  house  will  so  meet  popular  needs  that  it 
will  receive  adequate  popular  support. 

Democratic  control  is  highly  essential  in  an 
institution  which  is  to  serve  all  people  on  an  equal 
footing. 

Capable  management,  placed  in  the  hands  of 
a  broad-minded,  trained  worker  will  do  much  to 
insure  the  success  of  the  project. 

A  comprehensive  program  of  activities  devel¬ 
oped  in  accordance  with  the  expressed  desires  of 
the  community  and  to  provide  for  participation  by 
all  elements  of  the  neighborhood  is,  of  course,  the 
ideal  to  be  sought. 

The  erection  of  community  houses  as  war  memo¬ 
rials  is  a  most  timely  and  logical  expression  of  our  re¬ 
newed  patriotism.  Patriotism  means  love  of  country, 
and  surely  that  part  of  one’s  country  deserving  the  great¬ 
est  love  is  one’s  own  home  town. 

The  placing  within  a  community  house  of  such 
memorial  features  as  tablets,  shrines  and  trophy  rooms, 
will  bring  into  the  very  heart  of  a  community  a  per¬ 
petual  source  of  inspiration  to  high  ideals  and  service  to 
fellowman.  Surely  no  greater  tribute  can  be  paid  to 
those  who  offered  their  all  that  democracy  may  live,  than 
to  create  and  maintain  these  homes  of  democracy  which 
shall  serve  as  power-plants  in  generating  community 
happiness. 


56 


Community  JjSutlbinss  as  OTiar  JMemorials 
Pulletins 

1.  WHAT  SORT  OF  WAR  MEMORIAL?  By  Albert  S.  Bard. 

Advocating  Community  Houses  as  Memorials.  Illustrated.  (Formerly 
published  as  Bulletin  No.  4  of  the  National  Committee  on  Memorial 
Buildings.) 

2.  A  LIVING  MEMORIAL. 

Suggesting  a  program  of  community  service,  centering  about  a  Com¬ 
munity  House,  as  the  truest  memorial;  and  outlining  the  social,  re¬ 
creational,  art  and  educational  possibilities  of  the  community  building. 
(Published  by  War  Camp  Community  Service,  and  as  Bulletin  No.  2 
of  the  National  Committee  on  Memorial  Buildings.) 

3.  THE  PLANNING,  MANAGING  AND  FINANCING  OF  MEMORIAL 
COMMUNITY  HOUSES. 

Outlining  a  survey  to  determine  the  best  type  of  building;  suggesting 
forms  of  organization  for  local  memorial  building  associations;  and 
proposing  methods  of  financing  the  erection  and  maintenance  of  the 
memorial.  (Published  in  part  in  Bulletin  No.  3  of  the  National  Com¬ 
mittee  on  Memorial  Buildings.) 

4.  EXISTING  COMMUNITY  HOUSES. 

Information  about  successful  Community  Houses;  their  architectural 
form  and  special  features.  Illustrated. 

5.  EXISTING  PUBLIC  AUDITORIUMS. 

Descriptions  of  the  most  successful  memorial  and  other  municipal  audi¬ 
toriums  and  assembly  halls.  Illustrated. 

6.  PROVISION  FOR  ART,  MUSIC  AND  DRAMA  IN  MEMORIAL 
BUILDINGS. 

Illustrated. 

7.  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  BUILDING  MOVEMENT. 

Brief  reports  from  towns  and  cities  that  have  decided  to  erect  buildings 
as  war  memorials. 

8.  MEMORIAL  FEATURES  IN  C9MMUNITY  BUILDINGS. 

Suggestions  as  to  tablets,  inscriptions,  trophy  rooms,  historical  archives, 
etc.  Illustrated. 

9.  THE  ARCHITECTURE  OF  MEMORIAL  COMMUNITY  HOUSES. 

A  collection  of  photographs,  designs  and  plans,  with  descriptive  text 

10.  THE  ARCHITECTURE  OF  LARGE  MEMORIAL  BUILDINGS. 

Illustrated  by  photographs  and  plans  of  auditoriums  and  other  memorial 
buildings  suitable  for  larger  cities. 

11.  THE  SCHOOL  AND  THE  MEMORIAL  COMMUNITY  HOUSE. 

Combination  and  co-operation. 

12.  REFRESHMENT  FACILITIES  IN  MEMORIAL  BUILDINGS. 

Technical  suggestions  as  to  arrangement  and  use. 

Single  copies  of  these  bulletins  will  be  gladly  supplied  upon  request,  when 
in  stock;  price  in  quantities,  $3.00  per  hundred. 


